VCSTIMELESS model allows DPAM to safeguard its brand
24 Jan '08
3 min read
Du pareil au même (or DPAM as it is often nicknamed by its customers), meaning “six of one, half a dozen of the other”, is certainly not the same as other childrenswear retailers. Du pareil au même designs and retails quality, creative children's fashions at low prices for children from 0 to 14 years.
DPAM's core brand values are creativity, value for money and regular assortment renewal. “We like to renew our collections regularly, keeping our stores fresh and at the forefront of children's fashions", says George Spitzer, CEO of the French-based retailer. DPAM has a combination of high street and out of town stores, and like many modern fashion retailers, DPAM's future lies in international expansion where prospects for growth can be measured in double digits.
Expanding through an affiliation system: DPAM first began working with VCSTIMELESS back in the 1980s when the company was founded in France. Since then DPAM has expanded to over 340 stores and is present in more than twenty countries across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, including retail hotspots like Dubai, Tokyo and Kuwait.
Closer to home you will find DPAM stores in Lakeside and across Ireland. DPAM took its first steps overseas by creating subsidiaries in Spain and Italy in 2000 and since 2004 the retailer has accelerated its international development plans using an affiliation system.
"With an affiliation agreement, the affiliate rents and maintains the store and manages its own staff. DPAM manages the store's inventory and replenishment, in-store IT system and pays commission on all goods sold", explains Thierry Magnard, IT Director for Du pareil au même. The flexibility of this model allows DPAM to safeguard its brand.